


start of something new

by jinniefic



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Fluff, Karaoke, M/M, all the high school musical references, soft dorks in like, you will get cavities
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-10-24 12:40:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20706146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jinniefic/pseuds/jinniefic
Summary: Nico was not thrilled to be dragged out to a New Years party and was definitely not thrilled at the prospect of singing High School Musical duets with the much too enthusiastic stranger with a scarily good falsetto next to him.





	start of something new

11:15. 45 more minutes until the stupid ball would drop on the stupid flat screen in front of the huddled mass of people on the couch next to him, and then he could finally leave the insufferably _stupid_ party. Nico sighed.

"Oh, cheer up, big bro! Listen, I know you didn't want to come as you've been persistently reminding me, but make the most of it! They're doing karaoke in the other room by the way. Totally not saying you have to get up and sing, but it's gotta be a better offer than sitting with the, uh, ... little ones." Hazel paused. "I really appreciate you coming tonight," she said softly, as if sugarcoating would make the night any more bearable. 

"Thanks and you're welcome, Hazel, but I really should be at least trying to do what I can for this report." Hazel looked slightly guilty at the mention of the report Nico was stressing over the whole night, but visibly brightened at the sight of her boyfriend Frank. 

"Well, do what you can. But stop going so hard on yourself, Nico, it's _New Year's_!"

_It's not bloody Christmas, _Nico wanted to retort, but didn't get to reply as his little sister bounded over to the large bearlike figure that was her boyfriend. Nico looked around from his spot on the sofa while the various children from ages ranging from 6 to 12 looked at him blankly. He sighed and made a last minute decision, awkwardly waving at the children as they wordlessly watched him waft over to the very loud entertainment room.

He hovered at the entrance as two guys he noticed being Connor Stoll and Butch (?) played a very intense round of Just Dance, the sound of Tik Tok by Kesha blaring all throughout the house. Everyone cheered as the two boys toppled over at the end, people already yelling out their nominees for the next contenders. 

"Nico, my little man! Looks like you finally found your way to the main event!" Percy yelled, the smell of some lemonade-alcohol concoction heavy on his breath. Nico rolled his eyes as he not-so-carefully threw Percy's arm off his shoulder and pushed him over to Annabeth. "Yeah, what an observation," he said emotionless. 

As Percy drunkenly stumbled into Annabeth's embrace while mumbling something about seahorses, Nico took the opportunity to sit on one of the chairs in the back. He really needed to get his report done.

"Alright, whose ready to wind up the karaoke machine again?" some guy in an obnoxious tophat and glasses that for some reason were in the shape of 2005 yelled. Everyone cheered and filled up their glasses. "Alright who's up first?"

Just as Nico was getting emotionally prepared to hear some drunk butcher 'My Heart Will Go On" again, he jumped at the sight of Jason Grace holding onto his arm and, _oh my god, I'm getting dragged up. _"HE WANTS TO GO!" 

One look at Jason and he knew he was intoxicated, but it still didn't stop Nico from his flurry of 'nonono's and a very exaggerated attempt to escape. "Come on, di Angelo, you owe me."

Much to his disappointment, he _did _owe Jason a favor after the blonde had given him the number of a cute barista years ago. Of course he lost it in his comforter only two days later, but he did still owe Jason a favor. He just didn't think it's be such a _public _favor. And to his humiliation, all of his so called 'friends' (former friends) encouraged it, whooping and cheering like he just promised them all their own car. "YEAH NICO!" Percy yelled as Annabeth stuffed his mouth with a Hawaiian roll.

After Jason carried him to the center of the room with his stupid muscly arms, he awkwardly waited for his 'partner' to come up and choose their song. Because if Nico was going to suffer, he was not going to do it alone and double the embarrassment. He could already see Piper, Jason, and Hazel (his own _sister) _take out their phones and watch with anticipation, as Nico closed his eyes, head tilted towards the ceiling. Assholes.

He finally was shocked back to reality as a piano chord thrummed, the melody then shifting into what Nico recognized with horror as a High School Musicalsong. He frowned and looked at the screen as the words 'START OF SOMETHING NEW- HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL' appeared on screen with the annoying white dots floating as the piano interlude played. He could barely even hear over the cheers as his duet partner came up.

"Living in my own world, didn't understand," he sang in a monotone voice. "That anything could happen." More cheers and laughter. "When you take a chance."

The sound of a voice clearing, until...

"I never believed in...what I couldn't see." A horrendous falsetto from his duet partner, a guy with shaggy blond curls and an infectious smile, as his friends in the corner and the rest of the crowd laughed and hollered. He looked at Nico with piercing blue eyes and a grin on his lips as he sang, "I never opened my eyes..."

"Oh," he said flatly as the crowd roared.

"To all the possibilities." As they sang together, Nico's nerves slowly melted away as this blond guy sang in his somewhat impressive falsetto, dancing around ridiculously as Nico couldn't help but laugh. He also managed to do the whole routine while rarely tearing his gaze away from Nico. And every time Nico would laugh at the little shimmys or dramatic crooning, Blondie would get this dumb smile on his face, sending a swarm of butterflies on crack to his stomach. 

"Come on, Nico, where's the enthusiasm?" Nico flipped Percy off as they reached the bridge, where Troy belts out much too passionately, "I didn't know that this could happen til it happened to me....oh, yeah." They sang in disjointed harmony as they reached the high note, Blondie doing some kind of dinosaur roar in place of Gabriella's part as everyone burst into laughter, Nico included. 

"And now, looking in your eyes, I feel in my heart," Nico blushed as Blondie sang fully facing him, softly adding the echo "I feel in my heart'. "The start of something...new," they finished together.

The entire room burst into scattered applause and hollering, both Nico and Blondie getting pats on the backs and catcalls from their friends as they left the 'stage'. Nico hated to admit it, but it was kind of ... fun. It was also convenient that his 'Gabriella' happened to be a cute blond guy who refused to take his eyes off Nico for the entirety of the song, leaving him with a permanent and probably very obvious flush. 

"Nico, that was amazing!" Hazel yelled as she half hugged him. "I told you tonight would be fun!"

Nico playfully rolled his eyes, finding it hard to look grumpy when Hazel looked so genuinely thrilled to have seen him make a fool of himself. "Who says I had fun?" 

Jason snorted as him and Percy came sauntering over, scoffing at Nico's words. "It sure looked like you had fun, if the _blush _is anything to go by." Nico flipped him off as Percy not so helpfully added, "It even looked like, dare I say, _the start of something new."_

Both Nico and Jason groaned at the pun as Percy was once again collected by Annabeth. "I apologize for him and his lame puns. Come on, Percy, the kids in the other room are watching Finding Nemo." Percy hummed as Annabeth took him into her arms, muttering something about 'anemones'. She turned around. "By the way," she added. "Nice serenade, di Angelo.' 

Nico saluted them as he carried her like a crutch to the kids room. "Well, that was eventful. Almost made me forget the ten page essay I have due in two days. _Almost._" 

Jason gave him a look of pity until Piper spotted him, making her way over and sloppily pressing an open mouthed kiss to his lips. As they showed no sign of stopping, Nico took it as his cue to leave. "Annnnnd, I'm officially leaving now."

As he grabbed a mug of hot chocolate from the kitchen (at least the host was hospitable), he looked up at the wall clock above him. 11:42. He was getting there.

He made his way over to the quiet patio when a hand stopped him. He looked up to see the hand attached to Blondie, who was smiling somewhat nervously at him as Nico stared back with wide eyes. 

"Hey," he said breathlessly. Now that he wasn't prancing around the carpet stage singing enthusiastically and smiling dumbly, Nico was able to actually give him a proper once over. He had effortlessly messy blond hair and an adorable splash of light freckles over his nose, and was wearing a striped button up paired with cargo shorts like he had tried to look presentable, but gave up halfway through. All Nico could do was stare. He also looked familiar, like he had seen him before somewhere...

"Do you work at the Starbucks on Hawthrone?" 

Blondie froze like he wasn't expecting that response, but huffed out a laugh. "Yeah, I do. You a regular?"

Nico just started realizing how dumb it would sound to be like 'I totally recognized you as the cute barista who took my order two years ago, how funny that we meet again after singing a High School Musical duet' but managed to not sound completely stupid while saying, "You just looked familiar and you look like you could work there." _You look like you could work there? _ _New Year Resolution- get better at flirting._

He laughed again, running a hand through his hair. "I guess I have the barista look. _Not _sure if that's a compliment though."

"It is," Nico affirmed. Wow, did he actually manage to flirt back? It was a belated Christmas miracle.

Blondie smiled shyly. "I'm Will. Will Solace." He held out a hand, and Nico had to laugh at how formal the gesture was. "Nico di Angelo," he replied.

The two made pleasant conversation as the night wore on, and just as Nico was about to argue in defense of just how underrated Bop to the Top was, he was interrupted by the chanting "10, 9, 8!" from inside the house.

"Well, maybe in true High School Musical fashion, we should exchange numbers," Will said, scratching the back of his neck and grinning bashfully.

"Wow, _really _smooth, Solace."

"3....2....1! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

"But I'd like that." As everyone inside cheered and gave each other New Years kisses, Will smiled like he had won the lottery. Nico gave him a shy smile in return just as Percy came stumbling out, puking out blue liquid in a nearby fern. A very pissed off Annabeth was holding his hair back.

"My only request is to have a nice New Years kiss, and what does seaweed brain do? Get totally sloshed and puke in a vase." Percy coughed and wheezed as Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Very charming indeed. Also, sorry for the interruption."

Nico gave him a 'what can you do' look as Will laughed, his look of happiness subsiding into gentle concern as he noticed Nico shivering. "Maybe we should go inside," he said as Nico's teeth chattered.

"That'd probably be best. Brrgh." Will laughed and looked at Nico with such a look of fondness that he had to look away. He didn't need to be redder than the cold was already making him. "Stop laughing at me!" he whined as Will just laughed harder.

"I'm sorry, you're just too cute!"

Nico did everything in his power to scowl or at least try to fight off the embarrassing smile threatening to overtake his face. "I hate you," he said halfheartedly. Will just grinned.

As they joined the chaos in the living room, he was not at all looking forward to the teasing from his friends that would inevitably come. But even though he'd eventually have to face them and ask Hazel for a ride, none of it compared to Will outside Hazel's black truck just as they were about to leave, dramatically holding onto Nico's hand as he sang, "So lonely before, I finally found... what I've been looking for." 

And as much as Nico cherished the dumb smiles that bloomed on Will's face every time he made him blush, he suddenly felt the need to wipe it off. Just as Will started doing Gabriella's harmonies, Nico couldn't take it anymore. He pulled Will by his shirt collar and kissed him roughly through the window of Hazel's black truck, as Hazel struggled between cooing and giving them their privacy. Once Nico pulled away breathlessly, he gave Will one of his own dumb smiles as they looked at each other for what felt like eternity. 

Hazel pointedly revved her engine. "Okay, well we should get going. Nico, I'll allow a goodbye kiss as long as there are no tongues involved."

"Last I checked, you were my _little _sister, mmph!-" Nico didn't get a chance to finish his thought as it was now Will's turn to bring him into a heated kiss, cupping his cheeks as they melted into it and warmed each other against the chilly night air. Nico thought he saw stars in Will's eyes and immediately cursed himself for being so cheesy.

"Okay, I officially gotta go my own way." As Nico and Hazel drove away, Will stood there outside on the curb, humming softly to himself, "I feel in my heart the start of something new".

**Author's Note:**

> i unapologetically listened to the whole hsm soundtrack while writing this 11/10 would recommend


End file.
